Sandy 1st Team: Match Report v Ickwell and Old Warden Reserves

Competition

League - Division One

Result

Sandy 1st Team 0-2 Ickwell and Old Warden Reserves

Date

Saturday 11 September 2010

Kick Off

2.30pm

Attendance

16

Match Report

It was an afternoon of frustration for the home team as this hotly contested local derby slipped out of their grasp and boiled over dangerously at the end. The referee gave his customary team talk prior to the game, only to then completely lose control of the game at the end resulting in dangerous tackles flying in all over the field throughout and niggly retaliations happening with regularity across the pitch.

Sandy were positive about the match from the outset having beaten the same opposition two week ago, and for the first ten minutes they caused Ickwell some problems defensively. The home side should have been ahead after ten minutes when Craig Baker latched onto a long ball over the top and one on one with the keeper he squared the ball to Ian Hammett, Hammett with an open goal had a contender for miss of the century when he somehow failed to connect with the ball and missed from 7 yards out. However his blushes were saved somewhat by the linesman who inexplicably cheated and flagged Hammett offside when he had clearly been behind Baker.

Moments later the afternoon got worse for the home side, as influential centre back Phil Beall had to be replaced after suffering a hamstring injury following a sprint and a stretch. This caused Sandy to have to reshuffle and this allowed Ickwell to get a foothold in the game. The away side were beginning to be first to every knockdown and second ball that broke loose as Sandy battled to get into the game. However Mark Pallister in Sandy goal was relatively untroubled as the reshuffled back four coped well with every attack.

Hammett almost made up for his earlier error as he got away from the back four only to see his cross be gathered in by the Ickwell keeper as he looked to find Craig Baker in the middle. A succession of free kicks from the vistors were well dealt with by the home side, although Ickwell should of taken the lead on the stroke of half time when Rob Gaylor rose unchallenged in the box, but headed over with the goal at his mercy. Half time 0 - 0

Sandy had an early let off in the first few minutes of the second half as Lee Threadgold escaped the back line, but his lobbed effort sailed over to the relief of the home side. Ickwell had started the second half brighter and they were to be rewarded 15 minutes in when a diagonal ball in behind Craig Hill at left back, set Rob Gaylor away and he cut inside to coolly slot the ball past Mark Pallister in the Sandy goal.

The goal did seem to galvanise the home side into action somewhat though, and they were almost level ten minutes later, when good work from Craig Baker, released Brad Smith on the right, but his shot just clipped the outside of the post and went wide. Baker himself then had a good chance as he was released by Brad Smith. He challenged the advancing keeper and came up with the ball, but his shot on the turn was cleared off the line by Lloydy for Ickwell. Matt Evans then had a couple of chances to equalise, the first as he intercepted the ball on the edge of the box and broke through only to drag his shot wide, and then he narrowly missed connecting with an inswinging corner at the front post when any sort of contact may have brought a goal.

Sandy continued to push with the game getting increasingly more feisty as the ref refused to take action against either side for a succession of poor challenges. With ten minutes to go, a mistake fromm JJ Pekszyc at the heart of the defence gave Rob Gaylor the chance to make the game safe and he lobbed the stranded Pallister who had come out to collect the ball. This second goal only seemed to heat the contest up. Former Sandy player Jamie 'Shorty' Scotcher saw red for a horrendous challenge on Brad Smith, luckily Smith saw the potential career threatening tackle coming and managed to not plant his feet, as otherwise he could well of suffered broken legs.

Tom Fullbrook and Steve Monks then saw yellow for a heated exchange follwing a niggly tackle, after Fullbrooks afternoon could have been ended in a nasty challenge from Lee Threadgold. The game was getting out of hand, and finally the ref blew his whisle to end the contest. Ickwell coming away with the three poinhts and leaving the home side angry and frustrated with their failure to take anything from the game.